Electric fitting



H. CATUN.`

ELECTRIC FITTING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. CATLIN.

ELECTRIC FITTING. APPLICATION FILED 'ocT. 3. I9I9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ILE

Patented Mur. 28, 1922.

. .umn-:b STATES PATENT ortica.

. balanced onl a etang,

HOYT CATLIN, 0F BIDGEPOBR CONNEC'S, SSIGNOB T0 THE BRYANT ELECTRIC courm, or nnmcnronnconmacncur, a coaronanon or coNNncrrcur.

' mmc'rmc FITTING.

Speoicaticn of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2s, 1922.

appuoman mea october a, 191s. serai No. 328,222.

' To vall. z/'tom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I,'Hor'r CATLIN, a citizen of the United States of.America, residin at Bridgeport in the' county of Faired and State of onnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Fittings, of which the following is a s ecication.

y invention relates to electric fittings, and particularly to fittings for heater installations, such aselectric ranges. In addition to general features 'of improvement in design and arrangement of parts, I may point out as a special object of my invention the provision of means by which a group of switches of the present construction may be circuit without the use of Jumpers or other additional part. I may also mention as a s ecial feature of convenience peculiar to tliis fitting the fact that switches of different size and capacity may be associated with the base block without requiring any modification of constructlon, substitution or addition of parts. Other features of novelty will be recognized in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fi 1 is a plan view of the fittlng in whichM my invention is embodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is a similar View with the switch removed;

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of. the switch alone; i Fig. 4 is a broken side. elevation of the the break being on the line 4-4 of Fis@ 1g. 5 1s an lnverted plan of the fittmg with portion of a second fitting juxtaposed to illustrate 'a balanced connection to the mains; and y Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively sections on the lines 6-6 and 7 7 of Fig. 5.

In certain general features the present construction bears some resemblance to that shown in the Patent No. 1,323,047 issued November 25, 1919, to Gilbert W. Goodridge, bt differs therefrom in the general arrangement of parts and in possessing certain features of improvement thereover. As here shown the present fitting comprises a combined fuse and terminal block 10 of'insulating material transversely grooved at one'end on its lower ace at l1, 12 and 13 to accommodate the supply mains 14,A 15 and 16. Overlying the latter and projecting` from the opposite Ior upper face of the block are tubular bosses 17 and 18 which encase the fuse receptacles, while to one side of the bosses are arranged on the same face of the block a group of terminal plates 19 and 20 connected to the mains, and'v a second group 21, 22 and 23 connected to the branch leads of a heater unit. The switch S resting upon this ortion of the block and having its termina s connected to the plates 19-23, when in assembled position, serves to distribute the current from the mains to the branch leads in the same manner as dcscribed in the specification of the Goodridge application above mentioned. The details tem is used the mains are led through all'oi the grooves, the arrangement being such,

however, that the neutral wire 16 is always carried throughgroove 112 while the plus and minus wires are carrled through the grooves 12 and 13 respectively.

Fittings of the present type are commonly used in batteries or groups in a heater installation, each fitting controlling the circuit from the mains to a particular heating unit. In order to balance the installation on-the line, the connection should be made alternately to the plus and minus mains l@ and 15 for successive fittings.y This may be readily accomplished in the present fitting by the novel mounting of. the terminal plate 24, so that it may be reversed in position to bring its binding screw 25 either into the groove 13, where it will engage the plus main 14, or alternatively into groove 12, where it will engage the minus main 15. The different positions of the terminal plate 24.- for adjacent fittings are shown in Flg. 5. In both positions the terminal is secured by screw 26, which passes through the base 1() and engages one side of the usual yoke 27 overlying the base Hange of the shell contact 28 ofthe fuse block receptacle. As will be noted from Figs. 5 and `6 the barrier 29 which separates the wire -grooves 12 and 13 is cut away at the point 30 (Fig. 6) to permit the wire terminal 24 totake either posi- .then an led across to a tion Theichan e in position is readily eifected b loosening the screw 26 sufficiently to permit the terminal to be swung around, or the screw may be removed and the plate lifted and replaced in reverse position, after which the screw is re znserted and tightened. The temporary removal of the screw 26 for this purpose may be safely made inasmuch as the other side of the yoke 27 is engaged by the screw 3l let into the base and permanently waxed in position.

The connection in a three wire system. from either the plus or minus mains, 14 or 15, to the shell contact 28 of thefuse receptacle is thus readily made. In a two wire system the binding screw terminal 24 is positioned in that one of the rooves 12 or 13 through which the main 1s run and is located, of course, in uniform position for all the fittings of the installation.

From the shell contact 28 the current passes through the fuse (not shown) to the center contact 32 of the fuse receptacle. This center Contact here comprises the head of a bolt which passes down through the base and engages one end of the strap 33 located in a deep recess 34 (Fig.4), passing beneath the mali-'Igin of the'area occupied by the switch. ere a screw 35 passing through the base 10 connects it with the terminal plate 19, (Fig. 2). Inasmuch as this connection is permanent the strap 33 may be covered with wax and thus effectively insulated froml the wire mains or other conducting parts.

The neutral wire main 16 lying in the groove 11 overlies the bindin screw terminal plate 36, and is engaged tby the binding screw 37. Passing through the barrier 38 between the grooves 11 and.13 the plate is offset to pass beneath the groove 12, and

oint beneath the screw s ell contact 39 of) the second fuse block receptacle. Here it is engaged by the screw 40 passing through the base 1() and taking into the yoke 41 of the screw shellA contact 39. As in thefuse receptacle first described the center contact comprises the head of a bolt 42, which pierces the baserlO and connects with a second strap 43, likewise traversing the grooves 11 and 12 but in a recess below the bottoms thereof and separated therefrom by insulating wax. screw 44, taking into the opposite end. of the strap, passes through the -base 10 and connects t 1e strap to the terminal plate 20.

The present fitting is, therefore, Afused on both sides ofthe circuit. While this is desirable it will of course be recognized that if one fuse is deemed suiicient protection, the connection from either of the binding screw terminals to one of the plates 19 or .2O may be direct instead of through a fuse receptacle.

As above stated the plates 20, 21 and y which Mimet.

22 constitute terminals for the' branch leads to the heater unit. The precise manner in which vthe connections to these plates is made is immaterial, but as here shown the plates carry binding screws 45 b leads (not shown), assing t rough the several holes 46 in the base, may be engaged.

Each terminal plate is tapped to receive the screws 47 by which' the several branch terminals are connected to the plates. order` to accommodate switches of different size and capacity, each plate has a plurality of taps, the inner series 48 being for one size switch, and the outer series 49 being for a switch of such as would be used for example to control the current passing to the hot water coil. lf the switches are of the same type of construction, as is preferred, it is a simple matter to properly and 49, since in that case they would be merely spaced radially different distances from the axis of the switch as illustrated. T he proper location of the switch on the base 10 1s ing from the base and taking into a corresponding recess 51 (Fig. 3) in the juxtaposed face of the switch block S.

Any suitable casing may be used for the fitting, ting, or one covering the switches alone. I prefer one covering the entire fitting and aving special means for obtaining access to. the interior thereof, leaving only the switch operating ymeans exposed, thereby tampering with the fuses by those unfamiliar with electric fittings is rendered less likely.

The fittings may be mounted in any suitable fashion upon vthe wall of the range, upon the casing for the fitting. I have shown the base recessed at three points 52, on its upper face, and at corresponding/ points 53 on its lower face, to receive the 4ends of holding straps, the holes 54 for the 111 holding screws being common in both sets of recesses. Y

As will be readily recognized, the base 10 Aof the present fitting, as in the Goodridge fitting above mentioned, may be mounted on 11 the range at the factory where the connections to the mains and h'eater leads are made, leaving the switch block S to be packed inde ndently for shipment and to be installe by the electrician who sets up 12 the range. This feature of safety and protection 1s thus retained in the present fitting.

arious modifications of detail will readily do not depart from what I claim as m` invention. l

ile I have shown insulated wires as the mains, in accordance with the most usual practice, of course they may which the larger size and capacity,

locate the holes 48 85 determined by a lug 50 project- 90 either one enclosing the entire fitsince 1 00 occur to those skilled in the art 1:

be substituted 1 by rods, stra s, links, bare wires, or any other form o conductor which may be expedient, and I use the term mains, in the following claims in a sense broad enough to cover such a construction.

l. In an electric fitting, a group of terminal plates for main and branch leads, each of said plates being tapped at a plurality of points to receive conducting screws adapted to connect the plates to the terminals of switches of different size.

2. In an electric fitting, a group of terminal plates arranged around a common axis, each of said plates being' tapped at different radial distances from the said axis to receive conducting screws for connecting the same to the terminals of associated switches of different sizes.

3. In an electric fitting, a base grooved to receive wire mains, a fuse receptacle on the opposite face of the base, a binding terminal comprising a plate projecting into one of said grooves and adapted to engage one of the mains therein, said plate being offset into the base from the same side as and below the bottom of an adjacent groove, and its offset end connected to one of the contacts of the fuse receptacle, substantially as described.

4. In an electric fitting, a base channeled to form wire grooves seprated by barriers, in combina-tion with a binding plate adapted to serve either of the mains in two vadjacent grooves, the barrier between the grooves being omitted at the point at which the said binding plate is located.

5. In an electric fitting, an insulating base recessed to receive a plurality of mains, a fuse receptacle on the opposite'face ofthe base, a two position binding plate adapted to serve either main in two adjacent grooves,

three wire system, said fitting having a terminal adapted to be connected to the neutral of said three wire system, a second terminal on said fitting, and a two-position connector mounted on said fitting and serving in one position to establish connection between said second terminal and the positive main, and in its other position to establish connection between said terminal and the negative main.

7. An electric fitting for installation in a three wire system having its mains extending in parallel, and with the neutral main atone side of the positive and negative mains, said fitting having a terminal adapted to be connected to the neutral main, a second terminal, and a two-position connector mounted on said fitting and serving in one position to establish connection between said terminal of the positive main, and in second position to establish connection between said terminal and the negative main.

8. In an electric fitting for installation in a three wire system, said fitting having a base adapted to overlie the mains of the three wire system, a terminal on the exposed face of said fitting adapted to be connected to the neutral main, a second terminal on said face of the fitting, and a two-position connector mounted on the lower face of the fitting adjacent the mains and serving in one positlon to connect said second terminal with the positive main, and in.its other position to connect said terminal in the negative main.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HoYT ca'rLIN. 

